


A New Rival (or how Zoro stabs his way to friendship)

by Sunshining5



Category: One Piece
Genre: Enemies to Friends, Introspection, Minor Violence, NOT EXPLICITLY ROMANTIC, POV Roronoa Zoro, Relationship Study, Roronoa Zoro-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:02:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26071582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunshining5/pseuds/Sunshining5
Summary: Zoro doesn't know why he goes easy on her. It's not because of her face. At least not anymore, not since Punk Hazard. (It shouldn’t be because of her face because he’s not weak, he’s Roronoa Zoro and he’s going to be the greatest swordsman in the world.)But Tashigi’sface.At first, all he could see was Kuina.
Relationships: Kuina & Roronoa Zoro, Nico Robin & Roronoa Zoro, Roronoa Zoro & Tashigi, Roronoa Zoro/Tashigi
Comments: 11
Kudos: 47





	A New Rival (or how Zoro stabs his way to friendship)

Zoro doesn't know why he goes easy on her. It's not because of her face. At least not anymore, not since Punk Hazard. (It shouldn’t be because of her face because he’s not weak, he’s Roronoa Zoro and he’s going to be the greatest swordsman in the world.)

But Tashigi’s _face._

At first, all he could see was Kuina. Tashigi was like Kuina, who wore her hair short, and Kuina, who wielded one sword and could nevertheless beat him in seconds. Kuina, who was hotheaded and loud. Kuina. Then time passed, and he eventually realized: She wasn’t anything like his childhood rival (friend.)

Tashigi grew out her hair. Tashigi was a weak sword fighter, who had more admiration for the swords than the fight. Tashigi was shy and clumsy in front of her subordinates. Kuina didn’t wear glasses. Kuina could fight. Kuina wasn’t clumsy (except for once, except for once.) So as he saw Tashigi more, he learned to separate the two individuals in his mind. He knows he recognizes them as different people. What he _doesn’t_ know why he still can’t cut her down.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Their interactions go like this:

Tashigi: Roronoa! I won’t let you escape this time! Fight me!

Zoro stops and twists to face Tashigi.

They clash, steel hitting steel with a sharp clang. They battle for a few rounds.

Zoro wins easily, taking little effort to disarm her and knock her blade away (not break, she’s very protective of her it. He can’t even bring himself to break her sword. Pathetic.) and runs back to wherever he was trying to go in the first place.

Tashigi: Why won’t you take me seriously? Argh, curse you, Roronoa! (or whatever she’s meant to say, at this point he usually tunes her out completely.)

  
  


* * *

  
  


Each time Zoro swears, he promises, he tells himself that he can slice her. He can give her a bruise or two, a gash on her arm. Zoro can use restraint; he doesn’t have to do anything major. She deserves to lose honorably.

Each time he fails miserably.

He finds himself evaluating her skills each time they meet. He watches her steadily improve, not as fast as he would (not as fast as Kuina would.) Then he decides he’s seen enough and fights to win. Just as he’s about to cut her down, the excuses float up.

  1. Subordinates shouldn’t see their captain felled so quickly. 
  2. Nami, who took a liking to Tashigi after Punk Hazard, might raise your debt if you hurt her. 
  3. You shared some booze with a G-5 guy once, so _not_ cutting her is basically a thank you to him. 



None of Zoro’s excuses are, _she looks like my dead friend_ anymore though, so he considers it an improvement.

The notorious “Pirate Hunter” leaves her without a scratch. He shows mercy. He feels a bit like Mihawk on the Baratiae, which revolts him. (Someday, will he live alone in a huge castle and sail on a dinky raft too?) At the very least, he understands Mihawk’s perspective now. Why bother so much with small fries? 

The back of his mind whispers, _Do you really think she’s a small fry?_

He remembers Monet on Punk Hazard. Icicles stabbing into her shoulder. The words on repeat, _this is not your battle. See this play out. Only intervene when you need to._ Curiosity also cropped up, _did she learn haki? Is this her at her most desperate?_

He carries her after Monet is finished. Merciful. Mihawk bandages his many, many wounds on Kuraigana. Merciful. 

As he lifted her onto his shoulder, a spark of disappointment filled the ice cold room. _That was her best?_ Despite his doubts, the back of his mind tells him she will get better. Tashigi doesn’t give up so easily after losing. (Kuina only won.) 

| | | | |

Once, the cook catches the end (and the beginning, their fights tend to be short) of one of their skirmishes. The battle, if it could be so generously called that, ends the way it always does. Zoro disarms her and runs off, and Tashigi wallows in shame. Zoro also wallows slightly, ashamed he didn’t have the willpower to lay a hand on her. Eyebrow sees the situation differently. He grins at Zoro, “Good job, Marmio. Didn’t know you had a chrivalous bone in your body.” Then he noodles his way over to Tashigi, probably offering to turn himself into the Marines for her love, or something. 

As annoying as the cook is, he’s raised an important question to Zoro. Is refusing to hurt her his own brand of chivalry? 

He thinks of Nami. Nami, who keeps up with his drinking. Nami, who electrocutes her enemies. Nami, who lived in slavery, in hell, for years before fighting to escape. And Robin. Robin snaps necks and spines without remorse. Robin would list _assassination_ on a job resume. Robin spent her life on the run from a world which hated her. Zoro remembers (never forgets) Kuina and his 2001 defeats. 

Zoro decides the chivalrous bones in his body have been broken, time and time again, by the women they’re meant to be used for. 

So the reason he can’t fell her is not decidedly not out of chivalry. Still, try as he might, Zoro can’t understand his own actions. Luffy would say it’s a mystery reason. So, following his captain’s philosophy, Zoro resolves to leave the answer to his musings up to fate. And leave it he does.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Fate brings it barreling back into his life while he’s on a winter island. Soft snow covers housing and treetops. The white expanse covers every inch and rolling hill of the island, making it look peaceful, despite the bitter temperature. Nami says they’re only here to gather supplies, Luffy, at first sight of the island, declared it was an _adventure._ He bets Luffy already started trouble somehow.

Zoro is on the edge of a forest, pine trees brushing his side as he walks. On his right, there’s a lake, frozen by the island’s cold climate. He isn’t lost, (the streets moved!) but this doesn’t exactly look like a place with a bar nearby. Oh, well, if he follows his footsteps back to the Sunny, he could probably find at least the town, given a second chance.

He shifts to do that when a voice shouts out at him over a snowy hill, “Roronoa!”

Zoro knows that voice, knows the determination and slightly judgmental tone. _She probably thinks you got lost._

He looks over at the hill, and sure enough, Captain Tashigi stands, arms crossed and head held high. She slides down to his level at the forest, “Fight me, Roronoa.” 

Behind her there are several G-5 soldiers approaching as well. Waiting to watch their captain get beat, eh? Zoro calls out, “Sure, Glasses, let’s just get this over with.”

She huffs in response. Then, she attacks slashing to the left. Zoro parries her. _Was that attack stronger than last time they met?_ Zoro continues to block her, nerve taking the offensive. Looks like she had improved quite a bit from their last altercation. Still nowhere near his level, or even general New World level. (How annoying.)

He would humor her for a couple more minutes, but he really wants to find that bar before nightfall. So, he goes in to disarm her. She seems to notice the change in pace, almost blocking his attack. However, one of Zoro’s swords meets hers, and twists her blade out of her grasp. Immediately, the green-hilted weapon goes flying, landing on the frozen lake with a _crack._ He considers (not really) hurting her, but if he hurt her he can’t exactly ask for directions to the nearest bar, can he? 

Tashigi walks over to her fallen sword, checking it for damage. (tch, he’s not that reckless). Zoro chooses to ask, “Oi, you know where the closest bar is?”

Tashigi stares at him, her scrutinizing eyes look him up and down. She shethes her sword. Zoro, never one to back away from a challenge, glares right back. As they stand in an eerie silence, the wind whips snow on the swordsman's face. _Is she not going to give him directions, then?_

Tashigi breaks the silence, “Why won’t you take me seriously? You win! Cut me down, Roronoa, I don’t need your pity.”

 _Pity? Is that what she thinks this is?_ He replies haltingly, “Uh, the bar?” 

She takes a step forward, “Stop disarming me. Stop refusing to hurt me. Allow me to lose honorably.”

Zoro ignores her plea, “Look, I’m in kind of a hurry. If one of you could show me the way...,” he says, turning to the G-5 soldiers.

“I don’t want your deflections; I want you to tell me why!” She yells and slams her sword into the ground, glaring at him. 

He hesitates, thinking of what to say, of how to explain something he doesn’t really understand either.

A _snap_ pierces the air. The deafening crackling grows, and Zoro traces the noise from beneath Tashigi’s feet. The ice under where she slammed her sword starts to break, revealing the freezing lake water underneath it. Tashigi realizes her predicament and tries to move away from the crumbling ice, but before she can, the floor caves out from under her. She falls with a half-cut scream.

The other G-5 marines stand shell-shocked and unmoving. They look almost as frozen as the scenery surrounding them. Zoro hesitates, _I’m most likely a better swimmer than all of them. They’ll kill themselves trying to save her._ The more time he wastes thinking, the more time Tashigi sinks in the cold water. So, Zoro stops thinking, throws his swords onto the ground, and he dives in.

The water is a frigid, biting cold that permeates his skin in seconds. He sees Tashigi descending deeper into the dark water. Her sword is at her side, because despite the cold, she holds on to it fervently. It looks like she’s trying to kick upwards towards the surface, but she can’t even stop herself from sinking. His own arms shake from exertion; he needs to keep pushing, he needs to keep swimming. He’s near enough to reach out and grab her coat when Zoro sees her eyelids flutter, then close. Passed out, then. He grabs her by the waist and continues to kick until he can see sunlight warped from its reflection in the ice. He feels his own movements getting stiffer. The edges of his vision look like they were dipped in black tar. Zoro can hardly hold his breath anymore. _A bit further, just a bit further._

Finally, he arrives at the surface of the water. They must have drifted off from the hole Tashigi fell through, because Zoro doesn’t see it when he looks around. (Then again, he can barely see anything with the black spots in his vision.) He coughs, and water fills his lungs. However, he can’t feel the burning sensation that usually follows drowning; he only feels warm. He can hear a voice in his head screaming about that _not being a good thing,_ which suspiciously sounds like Chopper. Zoro, unfortunately, can’t find the energy to care and can scarcely find the energy to keep moving. He hums, _kinda a dishonorable way for both of us to go, huh?_ Right as he’s about to drift off something slams onto the ice above him. The ice cracks and splinters, creating a hole bigger than the one Zoro dived into. _Guess G-5 came to the rescue._ His trembling arm reaches forward to the lip of the gap only to get his hand sliced on an ice shard. His grip on the edge of the hole falters, but before he can start sinking two gloved hands pull him and Tashigi up and out of the water. 

His skin tingles, his lungs burn, and his head aches from the sudden return to the surface. God, he’s freezing. He feels Tashigi being taken out of his grasp (by one of her subordinates, he’s sure.) The hands that saved him move to support his back and under his knees in a bridal-style carry. Zoro’s head weakly lolls up from the rescuer’s chest, and he’s about to tell the guy to let him go, he can handle his own frostbitten self, when he looks at the man’s face.

It’s Vice Admiral Smoker. 

Now, Zoro, if he had the energy, would flail out of the Marine’s arms and pick up his swords for a fight. Yes, the bridal carry is humiliating, but getting caught by the Government injured with nowhere to run? That’s guaranteed death. 

Since Zoro doesn’t have the energy for much other than allowing the thought of his execution to run through his head, he coughs out some lake water and promptly passes out in Smoker’s arms.

| | | | |

He awakes covered in blankets. He feels breathing on this neck and turns to see Chopper curled up next to him, cuddling. Glancing around, he seems to be in the Sunny’s infirmary. But, that can’t be true. Last he remembers, he was unconscious in the presence of Marines. _Is he already dead? Did they execute him? The ship’s infirmary - is it the afterlife? (Maybe a personal hell?)_

“Oi, Zoro,” Luffy says from the doorway.

Zoro jumps in surprise, or he tries to, not getting very far with numb limbs and weighted blankets. He faces Luffy, confused. 

“Smokey came over to the ship carrying you. Chopper was scared. Thought we told you you couldn’t swim in freezing water anymore?”

“Sorry, Captain,” Zoro yawns, immediately drifting off lightly after waking, “Didn’t mean to.”

“Smokey said you saved the sword girl. Said it wouldn’t be fair to turn you in after that. Eh, Zoro, you like the sword girl?”

“Luffy, don’t be stupid. She’s a Marine.”

“You were a bounty hunter.”

“I was a bounty hunter,” he admits, for lack of a better thing to say. 

“You looked so cold, Zoro! All your stuff was soaked. But don’t worry, Smokey gave you his coat.”

Zoro glances under the multiple blankets on his chest. Sure enough, he was wearing a standard white Marine jacket. It’s kind of baggy on him. Tch. He sighs, “Did the crew see?”

“Nami called everyone over so they could watch you and Smokey come in! She said she’d take some berri off your debt for the laugh.” 

Zoro mumbles, “Great. Glad they all had a good time,” then, with the abundant warmth surrounding him, he’s lured back to sleep.

| | | | |

For the next week, Sanji simultaneously laughs his ass off and goes green with envy. (A brute like him shouldn't be capable of saving a lady, apparently.) Nami takes some money off his debt, which she instantly adds back on for scaring her. Chopper cries and begs him not to leave for the Marines (and not to swim in icy water anymore), and Robin calls him “Soldier-san” at every passing.

With this crew, Zoro reminds himself, it could be worse.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The question posed by the incident remains, however: _why did he save Tashigi?_ It’s not like he had to. He just thought he would have a greater chance at success than the average G-5 soldier. If Smoker hadn’t shown up, he would have died for the Marine captain. Not that he planned to give up his life and ambitions, nor that he would if actually given the choice. Saving her could have killed him. 

From an objective standpoint, Tashigi is 100% an enemy. Not only that, but she is a swordsman, making her a rival to his race to the long-sotten after title. Although, has the Marine ever desired the title of World’s Greatest Swordsman? She seems much more interested in the _sword_ part of swordplay. She wanted to take Wado from him. If he remembers Lougetown correctly, she wants to take every famous blade from crooks and pirates. So maybe they aren’t competing for the same things, but a point nevertheless stands. She isn’t close to him, and he isn’t some hero. There’s no logical reason to jump into freezing waters for an unimpressive girl. 

As Zoro takes night watch on the Sunny, he thinks about Kuina. Her words on that moonlit night, metal blades heavy in his hands. _Papa says girls never get to be the world's number one. It’s good that you’re a guy._ He promised her afterwards, to finish the dream they had both shared. World’s Greatest Swordsman. Perhaps, he received more than one of Kuina’s dreams the day she died. _When a girl grows up, she will lose out to guys…_ Zoro wants to see a female swordsman succeed. In this world, of _if only i were a guy_ and _Papa says…_ He wants someone to make others realize, even the nastiest pirates, even sensei and fathers in the farthest corner of the East Blue, that a girl can do it. Can become something so previously unthinkable, so unattainable. He wants to help shock the world. He needs Tashigi to do it. 

Fate is a funny thing. Who knew Kuina’s bitter words would save her doppelgänger?

He reminisces about his days at the dojo. Always so systematic: train, eat, sleep. Nothing exciting, except for Kuina. Kuina made him excited. Made his heart thrum with adrenaline. He sparred her, learned from her, lost by her hand, but never gave up. When they fought, it was exhilarating, not because she was his friend, but because she was his rival.

Zoro is a selfish man. He wants a rival. Wants someone matched to his tempo, someone that makes his heart scream. He wants someone he can compare himself to. Someone who’s strong enough to make him lose his breath, to make him think, _that was close._

Maybe he’ll give Tashigi a few pointers next time he runs into her.

| | | | |

Zoro is in a small village, trying to find the Sunny, but this town is like every other with its moving streets and backwards buildings. He turns right, then left, then right a couple more times, and, suddenly, he’s on the same street he started at (Nami will get a kick out of this.) He closes his eyes, groans, and immediately collides with the person next to him. 

“Sorry, my bad,” he says to the person, “could you point me towards the shoreline?” 

Zoro looks up.

Captain Tashigi stares back at him. 

“Uh, never mind,” he turns around and starts walking hastily.

“Roronoa!” Steam blowing out of her ears, “You idiot! You idiot pirate dumbass.” 

“…That’s no way to thank someone.” 

“You think it’s funny to mock me? To save me, so you can humiliate me again? Quit your games, Pirate Hunter. You can’t play with me whenever you’re bored. Not anymore,” Her arms are crossed, defiant. 

“Don’t talk about me like that! I saved you ‘cause I could, clumsy captain. Pirates don’t care about feelings hurt. Tch, ungrateful,” _Wasn’t he supposed to help her next time he saw her? Give her advice? He definitely remembers thinking something like that._

“I’d rather drown then be rescued by you!”

“There’s a fountain over there, if you’re up for trying.”

“Pirate Scum!”

“Ungrateful Witch!” _You said you would_ help _her, Zoro. Deep breaths._ “Oi. Never mind, Glasses, I’m going to help you.”

“What?” Tashigi stops short, wind out of her sails.

“I’m going to teach you how to fight better,” Zoro explains, “I’ve decided to.”

Tashigi growls, “Roronoa…”

“You don’t have to call me sensei or anything,” he blinks, “I don’t really care about—.”

 _SMACK._ She slaps Zoro across the face, “Stupid, idiot! Pirate scum!” _SMACK._ _SMACK._

“Ow! Oi! What the hell was that for?! I just offered ‘cause you’re shit at it, anyway!” _This didn’t turn out like he imagined it would._

Maybe he should retreat. There’s no winning this fight.

He walks (runs, sprints) off towards the nearest exit he sees. Thankfully, Tashigi doesn’t follow. Looking at his surroundings, he notices a bar. Thank God (Usopp). Zoro opens the door. Smoker stands in the doorway, seemingly about to leave the bar. Zoro closes the door. He turns away from the entrance. He walks from the bar, because he’s now decided to find the ship and take a long nap. 

“Roronoa,” Smoker calls.

Maybe the cook will let him steal some sake. Maybe Zoro will just steal some sake regardless. 

“I didn’t turn you into the Navy after I fished you out of that lake. So, we’re equal. I’m making it clear I'm not indebted to you for anything.”

Zoro stops mid-walk, “Tch, I didn’t do it for you.”

“Why did you do it? We’re enemies.” 

“Like it’s your business.”

“Tashigi is my subordinate. It is my business. I’m serious, I don’t know what trick you’re trying to pull here with the hero thing, but I will find out.”

“Point me to the coastline, then fuck off. I’m not starting a fight here.” 

“…what?” 

“I’m going to take a nap on my ship and drink shitty booze, and anyone in my way will be cut down.” 

“Roronoa, it’s a round island. I could point in any direction and you’d eventually get to the coast.”

“Fuck off!”

| | | | |

It’s late. Zoro, scarcely awake from a long nap, gazes at the sun setting over the ocean’s horizon. 

He yawns. 

“I didn’t take you as someone who appreciates the sunset, Zoro-san,” Robin giggles.

“Just woke up,” he cracks his jaw, “It’s not like it planned to see it.”

“I suppose,” Robin glances at the bruise forming on his cheek, eyes twinkling, “Did you tell our doctor about your unfortunate injuries today~?”

“I shouldn’t be surprised you somehow know about that, huh? Whatever, it didn’t go as I predicted it would. So it goes.”

She smiles at him, “Your intentions were quite noble, Zoro. It could have been executed more delicately.” 

“Understatement,” he grunts, “but I get the message. Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten so riled up talking to her.”

“Perhaps you should first explain your thought process behind saving her from drowning, instead of bluntly expressing your desire to teach her.”

“I don’t get why that matters,” he grunts.

“It must be frustrating to have no idea why you were spared after losing. Even more so when you’re actively saved by your enemy. It should baffle even the least curious of minds, being shown mercy from a pirate.” 

“I guess so,” the sun finally disappears, leaving an inky black sky, “still, she didn’t have to slap me,” Zoro pouts. 

They sit in silence for a moment.

“You think she’s weak,” Robin finally speaks.

“She could be strong.” 

“Why would she need to be, if all her enemies spare her?”

“That’s not what I meant,” He huffs at Robin, “I spare Tashigi because hurting her would be senseless. She’s no threat to me, not by a long shot.”

“Were you a threat to Mihawk on the Baratie?” Robin titters, “Or was that scar just created from Mihawk’s senselessness?”

“Alright, Robin, you’ve made your point. Maybe you should talk to her instead. She’d _love_ you. Saying I should hit her and all.

“I’m afraid I’ll be of little help to her,” Robin laughs, “Although, I can see why Nami has taken a liking to Tashigi.”

“Oi, you better not tell Nami about any of this. Seriously, I can’t deal with that witch.”

“It’s a promise, Zoro-san. Your misfortune was entertainment enough~” She leaves him to contemplate his next move.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It’s a windy day on a colorful autumn island and Roronoa Zoro is _not_ lost. Robin had dropped him off at the town bar, stating there was a bookstore nearby, and that she would pick him up once he was finished drinking (not that he needed her to.)

He’s about to order another drink when two Marines walk in. Standard soldiers wouldn’t pose a threat to a swordsman like Zoro, and they haven’t noticed him yet, but these Marines feel familiar. The answer comes promptly: these are G-5 soldiers.

Zoro remembers Robin mentioning this was the only bar in such a small village, _Smoker’s going to be here any second looking for a drink._ He pays his tab and gets out of there.

The afternoon sun glows a bright orange. Wind whips around him - _Where did Robin say that bookstore was?_ He chooses to go right. If Smoker is coming into town, he should find Robin and then the Sunny. Zoro doesn’t usually avoid confrontation, however, if a certain Captain shows up… 

(Stop thinking about Tashigi. Stop thinking about her drowning in the water. Stop thinking about your bruised cheek. Stop thinking about Robin’s advice. Stop--)

“That’s Roronoa Zoro, the Strawhat Pirate!” a man’s voice exclaims.

Zoro shifts to face the man, only to see the Marines in the bar earlier. Looks like they had noticed him. He unsheathes his blade, cracking a grin. No captains in sight. If he finishes them quickly (and he will) then he can still find Robin and get out of here undetected.

He arcs his weapon, cutting each soldier in one swing. There, finished. He stops to look for a bookstore on the street. As he does so, the Marine behind him opens a Transponder Snail, “Need back up in the town square,” he says rapidly.

“Oi!” Zoro slams the hilt of his sword on the man’s head, and he falls unconscious. He was too late, for the Transponder Snail already sent out the soldier’s message. (Where the hell is that bookstore?)

He needs to get out before-- “Coming to the square now.” The Transponder Snail responds with Tashigi’s voice.

_Oh, shit_

Zoro needs to run. Robin can take care of herself, but he has to escape before…

...she…

Captain Tagashi kneels and says something to the still conscious Marine. Zoro doesn’t dare turn around, doesn’t dare to take a step. Maybe she won’t notice him. (Maybe she isn’t wearing her glasses and will mistake him for a tree.)

“Roronoa Zoro.” _(Why do all their interactions start with her saying his name?)_

He opens his mouth to speak, but she beats him to the punch, “Shut up! I don’t care what you say,” she draws her blade, crossing it over her chest, “I’m not going to lose today. I’m not going to lose to anyone. Duel me, Roronoa Zoro, if you want the title of world’s greatest so badly.”

_Kuina! Dual me with a katana! I’ve brought real katanas._

He takes a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do it.”

Her eyes widened, clearly surprised by his acceptance. However, she quickly recovers, “I’m going to take those legendary swords from you. You don’t even deserve to have them!”

He draws Sandai Kitetsu and grins, “You chose this one for me, remember? Real lucky a sword geek like you was around to help me out.”

They charge at the same time. She’s changed, her attacks more vigorous, her blocks steadier. There’s something pushing her; he knows she’s given everything to this fight.

_That’s unfair. To become like you is my ambition!_

There’s no way Tashigi can win. Not against Pirate Hunter Zoro, first mate of the Strawhat crew and on track to becoming the World’s Great Swordsman. (Maybe he’d have trouble with her before the Grand Line, in his East Blue, his bounty-hunting days.) 

Tashigi tries. Their swords clash, but after she stumbles against the weight of his blows, she finds her footing. Again and again. She deflects and dodges and attempts to attack only once. (He predicted it coming easily, observation haki unneeded.) Zoro strikes to his left, and Tashigi, cornered, brings her sword up to meet him. He twists his blade towards her hilt in a disarming move, and her sword clatters out of her hands and onto the road. It couldn’t have taken more than a minute to fell her.

Zoro grips Sandai Kitetsu tightly. He looms over her, sword out in front of him. Tashigi looks up at him, disappointment in her eyes. _She’s still furious. Still determined. She thinks I’ll spare her again. She’s disappointed in me._

He strikes downward. 

_2001 defeats._

Tashigi gasps as he stabs her shoulder. Blood drizzles, dripping down her arm in small rivulets. She lowers herself onto the ground, gripping her shoulder. He acts fast, pulling his sword away and sheathing it. It’s not a deep wound, but deep enough to hurt. Deep enough to scar. 

Zoro kneels to face her at eye level. He unties the dark green bandanna from his arm, “You should widen your stance when blocking opponents larger than you,” he gently lifts up her arm and ties the bandanna securely around her wound, slightly fidgeting with the knot, “And you’re too easy to read. Anyone with half a brain could see that swing coming.”

Again, he fidgets the bandanna/makeshift bandage knot. _Was this the wrong move? She hasn’t said anything yet. Did she pass out? It wasn’t_ that _bad of a wound._

“Thank you.”

He stares at her. Did she really just say that? “You shouldn’t thank someone for cutting you, even if you’ve been begging for them to do it for a while.”

She laughs, a little breathless from pain, “I’ll take your advice - about my stance and my misplaced gratitude.”

“Maybe I should stab people more often, if they take to listening to my advice afterward.”

“I think you stab people enough, pirate,” Tashigi says _pirate_ in a teasing tone, almost like she’s mocking her earlier words.

“I do what I have to,” he shrugs, “People end up stabbed when they're in my way.”

“Sounds like your line of reasoning is as mortally gray as your Captain’s.”

“We’re usually on the same page,” he agrees, “We do what we want because we think it’s right to.”

Zoro looks at her, sitting, uninjured arm propping up her torso. His heart thumps and thumps and thumps, desperate for her to understand his words.

“Okay,” Tashigi finally says, “Okay, Zoro.”

They sit in silence, facing towards the town square. The city’s residents seemed fazed only for a moment before resuming whatever had them occupied. Zoro is almost baffled. _Something important happened. It happened and no one cares._

They watch together until Tashigi speaks, “Will you show me the disarming move you used today?” 

He stands and holds out his sword, “It’s difficult to master,” he does the move again, this time with an invisible opponent.

“I’ve never seen it before, even throughout military training.”

“It’s different, yeah,” he gives her a grin, “My friend invented it. Let me teach it to you.”

**Author's Note:**

> tbh, I really do see Tashigi being a good rival for Zoro (kinda like Luffy and Koby!) But she hasn't done a lot of "leveling up" like Koby or Smoker has, and has, i think, lost every fight she's had. Which is kinda confusing to me? Like, is Tashigi That Bad of a swordsman or does it imply that Kuina was _right,_ and women can't compete at (sword)fighting when men mature? I really hope not so maybe this is all b.s. and Tashigi will take down Mihawk or something. I'd die. 
> 
> But please, leave some love and share your opinions about my Tashigi discourse!! Love to hear anything!! :)))


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